• Jack Hughes scored the overtime winner to deliver the first US men’s Olympic hockey gold since the 1980 Miracle on Ice
• Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 41 of 42 shots to keep Team USA alive through relentless Canadian pressure
• The gold medal game fell on Feb. 22 — exactly 46 years after the legendary Miracle on Ice semifinal

MILAN, ITALY (TDR) — Jack Hughes ripped a wrist shot past Jordan Binnington just 1:41 into overtime Sunday, lifting the United States to a 2-1 victory over Canada in the men’s Olympic hockey gold medal game at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. The dramatic finish gave Team USA its first Olympic gold in men’s hockey since the 1980 Miracle on Ice — on the exact 46th anniversary of that iconic upset.

Hellebuyck Stands On His Head Against Canadian Onslaught

Canada outshot the United States 42-28, and for long stretches the Canadians dominated territorial play. That it didn’t matter was almost entirely because of Connor Hellebuyck.

The Winnipeg Jets netminder and 2025 NHL MVP stopped 41 of 42 shots — including a breakaway denial of Connor McDavid and a behind-the-back stick save on Devon Toews that prevented a certain Canadian go-ahead goal in the third period.

“Hellebuyck has been a brick house in this gold medal game.”

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The Americans also survived a 93-second 5-on-3 Canadian power play in the second period through a combination of Hellebuyck’s reflexes and desperate shot-blocking.

How the Goals Unfolded

Matt Boldy opened the scoring in the first period for the United States. Canada answered in the second when Cale Makar beat Hellebuyck with a precise wrist shot from the right faceoff circle — one of the few shots all game that found a gap in the goaltender’s armor.

The third period belonged to Canada territorially, but the Americans bent without breaking. Charlie McAvoy cleared a puck off the goal line after Hellebuyck was beaten in a scramble, preserving the tie that sent the game to 3-on-3 overtime.

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Then came the magic. Hughes forced a turnover with a poke check in the American end. Zach Werenski retrieved the puck, skated hard up ice and found Hughes with a centering pass from the left corner. Hughes fired a wrist shot that beat Binnington five-hole.

“Jack Hughes has written his name into hockey history with the dramatic goal to seal the United States’ first gold in 46 years.”

Playing For Johnny

The celebration carried layers of meaning beyond the medal. As teammates piled on each other and Hellebuyck draped himself in an American flag, one image stood out — players hoisting the No. 13 jersey of the late Johnny Gaudreau.

Gaudreau, the all-time leading American scorer in international competition, and his brother Matthew were killed by a suspected drunk driver while cycling in New Jersey in August 2024. USA Hockey had confirmed Gaudreau was on the projected Olympic roster.

“It means everything — we all know he should be here with us. He should be with us. We love him.”

That was Dylan Larkin, who played alongside Gaudreau at multiple world championships. The Gaudreau family — including Johnny’s parents, his widow Meredith, and their two oldest children — traveled to Milan to watch the gold medal game.

“We’re doing our best to make ’em proud.”

Crosby’s Absence Looms Over Canadian Defeat

Canada entered the final without captain Sidney Crosby, who suffered a lower-body injury during the quarterfinal win over Czechia. The 38-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist — who scored the overtime winner against the US in the 2010 final — was ruled out an hour before puck drop after meeting with coaches and doctors for 45 minutes. Defenseman Josh Morrissey was also sidelined for a second consecutive gold medal game.

“He’s Sidney Crosby, he’s going to have a big influence no matter what. In the lineup, not in the lineup, he’s going to have a big influence.”

February 22: A Date With Destiny

The timing was impossible to ignore. On Feb. 22, 1980, Herb Brooks led a team of college amateurs to a 4-3 upset of the dominant Soviet Union at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics — widely considered the greatest moment in American sports history. Two days later, those Americans clinched gold by defeating Finland.

Forty-six years later, a vastly different American team — stacked with NHL superstars — achieved what generations of professionals had failed to do since the league began participating in the Olympics.

Mike Eruzione, the 1980 team captain, offered a distinction that proved prophetic after visiting the current squad.

“This isn’t a miracle. This is a team that can win a gold medal.”

Head coach Mike Sullivan had reminded his players that only 36 American-born players had won Olympic gold in men’s hockey before Sunday. That number just grew significantly.

The Hughes Family Legacy

The overtime hero, 24, is a New Jersey Devils center and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He shared Olympic ice with brother Quinn Hughes, a Vancouver Canucks defenseman. Their mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, was in Milan as a player development coach for the US women’s team — which won its own gold earlier.

“Never in a million years did I think that I would be in Italy and have the opportunity to be a part of the women’s Olympic team. And then to have two sons there, you just count your blessings.”

As the Milan Cortina Olympics close with a ceremony in Verona later today, does Team USA’s gold — delivered by NHL stars rather than college amateurs — carry the same cultural weight as the 1980 Miracle on Ice, or does it represent something entirely different about American hockey’s evolution on the world stage?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from CNN’s live coverage of the gold medal game, Yahoo Sports’ game recap, NBC News’ Olympic live blog, NBC Olympics’ gold medal coverage, ESPN’s Gaudreau tribute reporting, USA Hockey, CBS Sports, NHL.com’s Crosby injury updates, Olympics.com goaltending analysis, and NBC News’ Gaudreau family tribute.

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